Enrollment
686
Mississippi · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Vancleave, MS
Vancleave Lower Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Vancleave Lower Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 280216000964
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 24
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Vancleave Lower Elementary earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of Mississippi schools.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Vancleave · Resource Index
- 33
- Resource Index · Typical
- 15.6:1
- large classes for Mississippi
- 53.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Vancleave Lower Elementary has class sizes larger than 84% of Mississippi schools. Computed live against every Mississippi school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Vancleave Lower Elementary ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Vancleave, MS.
School address
District: Jackson Co School Dist · Mississippi
NCES ID 280216000964 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
44.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.6:1
vs 13.3:1 Mississippi avg
+17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
53.4%
vs 80.5% Mississippi avg
-34% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Vancleave Lower Elementary compares with Mississippi and U.S. medians
What stands out at Vancleave Lower Elementary
Vancleave Lower Elementary is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Vancleave, Mississippi, enrolling 686 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Mississippi schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 53.4% free-meal eligibility runs 34% below the Mississippi average.
Enrollment of 686 puts it in the larger third of Mississippi schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 877 scored Mississippi schools.
Against 150 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #97.
Its student body is predominantly White (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 27/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 686 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 18.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Vancleave's elementary schools, it stands alongside Vancleave Upper Elementary (333 students): Vancleave Lower Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (15.6:1 vs 13.3:1).
Jackson Co School Dist also operates St Martin High School (1,289 students) and St. Martin Middle School (946 students) alongside Vancleave Lower Elementary.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Vancleave Lower Elementary compares
Vancleave Lower Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Mississippi and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Mississippi | Mississippi avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.6:1 | ▲ 17% | 13.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 53.4% | ▼ 34% | 80.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 686 | top 20% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.6:1
Leaner classes than 41% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
686
Bigger than 79% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
53.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 34% below the Mississippi average of 80.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.6:1
students per teacher
- 17% above state mean
Top 84% in Mississippi - lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
30.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$10,221
per pupil, district-wide
- below Mississippi avg of $11,990
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 686 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
29
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 85.0%
Hispanic or Latino 6.1%
Two or More 5.8%
African American 2.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 85.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 27.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 27.0, Vancleave Lower Elementary is less mixed than the Mississippi school average of 41.1.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Jackson Co School Dist, which includes Vancleave Lower Elementary.
$10,221
Per student
-15%
vs Mississippi
Avg $11,990
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.9%
State 43.7%
Federal 18.4%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Vancleave Lower Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Martin High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| St. Martin Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| East Central High School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Vancleave High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| St Martin East Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Vancleave Lower Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,289
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 946
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 777
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 737
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 31/100
- Enrollment
- 704
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
Similar elementary schools in Vancleave
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Similar elementary schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Mississippi, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~686 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~15.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Vancleave Lower Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Vancleave Lower Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Jackson Co School Dist's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Vancleave Lower Elementary
How many students attend Vancleave Lower Elementary?
Vancleave Lower Elementary has 686 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Vancleave, MS.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Vancleave Lower Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Vancleave Lower Elementary is 15.6:1, which is 17% higher than the Mississippi average of 13.3:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Vancleave Lower Elementary?
53.4% of students at Vancleave Lower Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Mississippi average of 80.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Vancleave Lower Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Vancleave Lower Elementary is White at 85.0% of enrollment, in Vancleave, MS.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Vancleave Lower Elementary?
Vancleave Lower Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Vancleave Lower Elementary rank among public schools in Vancleave?
By Resource Investment Index, Vancleave Lower Elementary ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Vancleave, MS. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Vancleave on the city page.
Is Vancleave Lower Elementary a good school?
Vancleave Lower Elementary earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of Mississippi schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Jackson Co School Dist?
Besides Vancleave Lower Elementary, Jackson Co School Dist also operates St Martin High School (1,289 students), St. Martin Middle School (946 students), and East Central High School (777 students). See the Jackson Co School Dist district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.